Epublishing: with Angela James, Executive Editor, Samhain Publishing

1.Do you have any comment on RWA’s recent re-redefinition of “Vanity/Subsidy publisher”?

I think I’ve pretty well beat this horse to death on various blogs and message boards, but at this point, I’m going to take a wait and see attitude as far as that’s concerned. I’ve conversed with several people on the board and I don’t get a sense of malice from their decisions. I do think that RWA in general and members of the board specifically (whoever they may be at any given time) cannot afford to be uneducated and uninformed about the ins and outs of epublishing and still make decisions about and for epublished authors, so I’m heartened by the task force that’s been formed for discovery.

Certainly we will do whatever we can to continue to present epublishing in a positive light among the general membership and board.


2. What do you think a writer should look for from an epublisher, and how should they expect to be treated?

I’ve heard this repeated more often recently, but an author needs to look for a professional publisher, not someone who wants to be their best friend or their family.

There is a huge list of things the author needs to know about the publisher before they sign on, which is a post all on its own (I believe Jane of Dear Author is tackling this in the near future) but an author wants to know a publisher will be enthusiastic about their work, will meet the terms of the contract, is looking to always grow their own business and reinvest money in it, and will be planning for the future of the company, and hopefully the author.

Authors should expect to be treated professionally, with respect and courtesy, but shouldn’t expect that the publisher will be able or willing to meet their every demand or to be available at a moment’s notice. Impractical expectations on both sides can sour a business relationship.

3. What are the most common mistakes made by authors submitting works for consideration?

Forgetting that publishing is a business for the publisher, not a hobby. Not putting their best professional foot forward, checking and triple checking for typos, following submissions guidelines and generally showing a general lack of disinterest in the basic things the publisher has asked for.

The other common mistake I see is not researching the publisher. Submitting work that the publisher doesn’t accept (like non-erotic to an erotic publisher), not knowing anything about the company (I hear this a lot when I do editor appointments and it doesn’t impress me) and never having read any of the work released by the publisher. All of this that I’ve mentioned is usually easily done, especially in the age of the internet. To not do it shows a lack of interest in treating your writing as a job and doesn’t convince the editor that you’ll be willing to put in the necessary work needed to make your book the best possible.

4. Although conservative non-fiction has a large following, lately I have picked up on a resistance to conservative leaning fiction. Two well known agents even stated such on their Blogs. This is informative, and it means if you write from a conservative perspective, it would be best to seek representation elsewhere. My question is how pervasive is this attitude among publishers and agents? Do the political views or leanings, in either direction, of the author or characters in a book influence your decision? Would you ask an author to tone such views down to make the book more palatable to a larger readership?

You know, it’s interesting, but I think we’ve found more of an issue with books with religious leanings than political leanings. We don’t get a huge amount of politically motivated submissions, but we do get a few that are religiously charged.

In either case, we’re still an epublisher and our motto is “It’s all about the story.” If it finds the right editor who believes in it and loves it, we would publish it.

5. With a primarily digital mode of publication, how do you decide how much to publish? Are all high quality manuscripts that meet the perceived needs of your customers published, or is there a goal for monthly or annual publications?

We don’t have a set number of books we publish each week. It’s different each week. We have a good number of editors and each editor is limited to a general range of releases per month. It’s up to them to make sure they’re filling their slots with books they love from both existing authors and the slush pile, and they tend to be pretty picky because they know they’re limited. So yes, we think they’re high quality and are proud of what we publish because of it!

6. When would you advise an author to seek publication with a traditional print publisher and when is it in their best interests to publish in digital format? The pros and cons are often debated among authors, and I was wondering how the actual publishers saw these issues.

Well, I don’t think I’d ever look at a manuscript that landed in my inbox and tell an author, “You know, you really ought to send this to NY instead of me.” I’m not that altruistic and I’d be a flat out liar if I said I was ;) However, I attend quite a few conferences and I have been known to give an author’s name (or introduce an author) to both agents and editors for NY houses. I did both, actually, at RWA nationals. I have an author who sent a manuscript to an editor’s slush pile. I’d previously met the editor so when I saw her at RWA I mentioned the author had sent a book to her. She was…honestly puzzled and asked me, didn’t it bother me?

My answer was and is no. I realize that authors are interested in writing for NY. There is an opportunity for both a larger distribution and a different audience. It’s the same reason Samhain has partnered with Kensington for an imprint of our books. I genuinely like my authors and I want them to do well. Clearly I love their writing or I wouldn’t have signed them. It thrills me when they land a NY contract. Both because I’m personally happy for them but also because hey! Chances are their backlist at Samhain is going to see a happy bump as they make a name for themselves in the NY arena. It’s a win-win situation. Of course, I’m even happier if they want to keep writing for us, but I understand sometimes that’s not possible.

7. Can you share any sorts of revenue targets you have in mind when purchasing a manuscript? I assume that you need to sell a certain number of copies before the time spent acquiring, editing, and publishing is worth it financially. What is that approximate point? What percentage of manuscripts make this cut-off?

Grr. You ask hard questions  Right now, we don’t not take a book just because we think it won’t sell well. One of the things we’ve accepted, as a newer company who wants to build a catalog and a reputation as a general publisher, is that some books will sell astonishingly well and others won’t. It’s a balance but if we don’t publish those books, we can never gain a reputation for having not just great erotic romance or great romance, but great fiction/fantasy/action/young adult as well. So we fall back on our motto, “It’s all about the story.” when we’re reading submissions because if we love a book, we’re going to sign it, whether we’re going to make huge royalties or not. We’re just lucky that we love books that sell well too ;)


8. By far the most famous epublishers currently are focused on erotic romance. I would guess that far more erotic romance is bought in ebook format than in print. First, is this guess accurate? Secondly, what prospects do you see in the short to midterm for other genres in eBook format? Will we soon see non-romance mysteries or fantasy or manga taking off? Will we see it with your company?


I can’t really answer the question of whether more erotic romance is bought in ebook format than print. I would guess the answer is yes, but I’d also say that far more erotic books exist in eformat than print, so it follows that their numbers would be higher, so I don’t know if anything would be proven just by saying more erotic books are bought in eformat. We’d have to do some scientific, mathematical stuff. At that point, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be the one cowering in the corner and whimpering.

I have high hopes for both the fantasy/science fiction market as well as the young adult market in ebook format, because I would hope that those are two groups of readers who’d be more open to the technology of ebooks.

This is going to sound strange coming from the executive editor of a publishing company, but when I see pirate sites providing downloads of ebooks, it gives me hope. Because it’s not just one genre of books, like romance, being pirated, it’s many, many genres. So that means there are readers out there who want books of all types in ebook format. My personal positive twist on pirate sites. Just call me Mary Poppins.


9. Is there such a thing as a best seller list for e-books?

For ebooks overall? No such thing exists. For Samhain ebooks, we do have a bestseller list that showcases bestsellers for the previous three week period, on our sister company My Bookstore and More. Though I should point out that we don’t sell just Samhain books, so a book from another publisher could potentially make that list.

10. Since marketing and promotion are a shared venture with publishers and authors, what do you see as some of the best venues and tools to establish the name and work of a new writer?

Name recognition is so important because of the wealth of ebooks available. Sometimes it’s not only about what you do, it’s just about doing.

I like blogs but there are so many that I don’t think every author can (or should) have a blog. But they can comment on them, making sure they fill out the link part with their website address. And not just the regular round of blogs in the romance community. Comment on unusual blogs. Craft blogs. Political blogs. Mommy blogs. People will follow links to names of people they don’t recognize. There’s a wide variety of blogs out there and you never know who you might intrigue into buying a book—just from being a visitor to their blog.

That leads me to having a website. Such an important tool for promotion. And the website? It needs to be professional looking. First impressions do count. Think of it as though you’re visiting a daycare for your child. If you walk into the daycare and it seems horribly disorganized, with something spilled on the floor and kids running in every direction—and you can’t find the one thing you’re looking for (the teacher) are you really going to give them your money (and your child?) Um, no. Your website may be the first exposure a person has to your work. Make it neat, make it professional and provide buy links, excerpts and contact information. The pictures of your cleavage or your dog? Really not necessary. Especially on the home page.

There are such a variety of other promotional things I could talk about: chats, banner ads, conferences, ads in print magazines, etc. but everyone’s mileage may vary on each thing and we could spend all day debating the pros and cons of each promotional tool. I think the most important thing is that the author try the different things and actually do promotion.


Thanks so much for taking the time to do this, Angela! Much appreciated!

Quick notes

Don't forget to check out my fellow Deliciously Naughty Writer Sierra Dafoe's excerpt and stuff below!

I will have a guest blogger on Monday that I think you guys will get a big kick out of.

It's the Deliciously Naughty invasion!

All right, maybe more like a minor incursion...

Stacia, thanks so much for inviting me over today! I've got a new release today, so Stacia (who's December when she hangs out with us smut-puppies :p ) kindly suggested I stop on by, and well... here I am!

I'm Sierra Dafoe, and I write erotic romance. Really steamy erotic romance. What can I say? I like the hot stuff! But I also like really unique characters, exciting stories, and unusual predicaments. All of which means I write anything from shapeshifting dragon princes, to a galaxy where all the men are sex slaves, to a place a little more close to home -- like Portland, Maine, where the Shifter Sisters, my trio of rock-n-rolling paranormal misfits, take the stage at my fictional version of Geno's every Friday and Saturday night.

The Shifter Sisters series started with Sex and the Single Werewolf, in which Luna, the lovelorn lycanthrope, discovers the power of friendship, the horrors of waxing, and the love of her life in sexy Irish songwriter Sean. Book two, Once Bitten, Twice Shy, featured Tori, the reluctant vampire, who lost both her virginity and her humanity all in one night, and now finds herself pursued by the rich, devilishly handsome Drake Foster -- who has an uncanny ability to be in two places at once.

And now it's Persia's turn. Persia, the catty shapeshifting singer, is furious that Tori got the man she wanted. She's determined to find a man who'll turn both Tori and Lu absolutely green with envy. But finding a man who can outshine Drake Foster is going to be no easy task -- he’d have to be handsome, suave, sexy, adorable, romantic, powerful and rich…

In the meantime, there’s Billy Gruff -- young, blond, and absolutely gorgeous. A perfect consolation for her wounded pride. And when Billy takes her home to meet his brothers, Persia finds herself with an overabundance of mouthwatering choices.

What's a poor, harmless kitty to do?

Excerpt (ADULT, guys! You are duly warned...)


He can’t stop now, Persia wagered, urging him on with her tongue, pulling him deeper. He can’t possibly stop now…

But he did. With a groan Alec pulled her off him, tumbling her back onto the thick carpet. She fell awkwardly, angry now that her hands were bound -- it made her look ridiculous to be sprawled there, her thighs flung wide, her hair in her eyes. He stood over her staring down, panting, his eyes wide with something that looked like shock. His cock angled stiffly before him, jerking in time with his heartbeat.

“Are you crying uncle, Alec?” She slit her eyes at him teasingly. He shook his head slowly, that strange, wondering gaze still on his face.

What in hell was wrong with him?

Persia wriggled on the carpet, drawing her thighs up, arranging herself more seductively. The haunted shadows in his eyes grew deeper. He looked like a man wrestling with his own demons.

Well, this was no fun!

She bet she knew what would get him, though. Smiling coyly, she rolled over, raising herself to her knees with her hands cuffed behind her, and thrust her butt upward.

With a low, despairing groan, Alec sank to his knees behind her.

Purring hungrily, Persia rocked her hips back toward him, and smirked to herself as she felt his hands on her ass. Still he hesitated, that thick, lovely cockhead pressed against her dripping folds. Then a harsh sob burst from his throat and he plunged into her, sinking home in one hard thrust.

“God, Persia,” he whispered, his whole body trembling. “Oh, Christ, you feel just like velvet. All warm and soft and tight.”

Oooh, she liked compliments. And she liked the harsh desperation in his voice. Turning her head slightly, she murmured, “I know someplace even tighter.”

His shaft flexed inside her at her words and she heard him gasp, on the very edge of climax. Quickly, he pulled back out of her, and Persia heard him rise. A moment later, there was the scrape of a drawer being opened. Then she felt his hands on her hips again, and his cock nudged at her upturned ass.

“Oh, Persia.” His hands lifted from her hips, and a second later she felt his finger, slick with some lubricant, circling her tight, puckered hole. “Now do you want to cry off?” he whispered.

She panted, barely able to shake her head, paralyzed by the lust pouring through her body. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the feel of his finger rubbing her rectum, penetrating slightly as he coated her ass. Then it was withdrawn, and Persia moaned as his cockhead replaced it, pressing against her opening, slowly spreading it open as he forced himself into her tight little hole.

Persia squirmed on the carpet, dragging her breasts back and forth against its plush softness, whimpering with delight as the clamps tugged at her nipples. She was on fire, her whole body yearning between those two sharp sensations -- the pinch of the clamps, and the delectable feel of Alec working his cock into her ass.

In her mind she imagined Billy, his eyes wide, asking in horror, You want me to do what?

Sweet, innocent Billy. He had no idea what he was missing.

Check out Shifter Sisters: Stray Cat Strut at Changeling Press today!
http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=670

And stop by and visit me on the web anytime at sierradafoe.com!

--Sierra

Sneak Peek (Part Three)

Personal Demons is available for preorder on Amazon here!!


Enjoy!

(Note: This is an unedited excerpt. Final version may vary slightly.)

Chapter One (third scene)


Someone waited on her porch.
Megan froze in the middle of the walkway, her fast-food bag still clutched in her hand, and lowered her shields. Better to have some idea what was in store. Her free hand twisted the little cap on her pepper spray keychain. If he planned to slit her throat and run, at least she’d have a fighting chance.
Nothing.
She opened the shields more. Surely something would come through. Tired as she was, she almost always managed to get some glimpse of the other person’s character or motives.
Still nothing. Perhaps she was more drained than she thought.
The figure in the shadows moved. “Hello, Miss Chase.” A man’s voice, smooth as glass against silk. “I enjoyed your show very much.”
Megan took a cautious step forward. This was her home. It was just past 9:30 on a bright September night, and she would stand her ground.
“Thank you,” she said. “Who are you, please?”
The man stepped off her porch. Moonlight made the sharp, aristocratic bones of his face stand out like bas-relief under a shock of thick dark hair. He was tall—of course, to someone as short as Megan most people were tall, but she thought he was a few inches over six feet. She’d remember that if the police asked her about it in the emergency room later.
He could send her there without breaking a sweat, too. Broad shoulders hinted at a muscular body, and were encased in a suit even she could tell was tailor-made. A businessman.
Businessmen could be rapists just as easily as anyone else.
“My name is Greyson Dante,” he said, reaching into the interior pocket of his suit coat and pulling out a card so white it glowed. He held it out to her. She didn’t step forward.
“And what are you doing here?”
He lowered his hand to his side without a trace of embarrassment. Was he a lawyer? She’d never met anyone in a different profession who enjoyed being rebuffed as much as attorneys seemed to. “I came to speak to you about your show. I have a client who is very interested in your concept.”
“If it’s about the show, your client should call the station.”
“It’s not an offer for the station. It’s for you, personally.”
She sighed. “Then he or she should call me at my office, not send a lawyer to lie in wait at my home.”
“Did I say I was a lawyer?”
“No.”
He waited for her to continue, smiling when she remained silent. The more she looked at his face the more she wanted to look, and she couldn’t imagine she was alone among women in that reaction.
And she bet he knew it. She concentrated very hard on seeming unimpressed.
“Listen, Mr…?”
“Dante.” His voice was a perfect blank. It wasn’t just a bland accent, it was accentless, as if he’d been to broadcaster’s school and spent years removing any identifying trace from his speech.
“Yes. This is all very pleasant, but it’s late and I’m hungry and tired. You can leave a message at my office tomorrow if there’s something you need to discuss. I may even have time to call you back.”
He kept smiling. Megan reached out to him with her mind. Maybe he just wasn’t much of a transmitter. Some people weren’t. If she could have a little feel-around in his head, though, she might get a better idea of what he wanted.
It was no use. Not only could she not get into his head, but the grin on his face made her think he knew—or at least suspected—what she was doing. Which wasn’t possible, was it?
“Miss Chase.” She could almost see him switch gears from “slick and sophisticated” to “your good friend who wants to help you” mode. “I don’t think I’m making myself very clear. My client wants only to aid you and possibly come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. If you would just give me ten minutes of your time, I could explain—”
“I’m sorry, but I have a lot to do this evening. I don’t have time to sit here and talk.”
“We’re standing.”
“I don’t have time to sit or stand with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The paper bag full of fries flopped against her stomach.
He studied her for a minute, his head tilted to one side. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. “Meanwhile, I’d appreciate it if you could do me a favor.”
“You want me to do you a favor?”
He nodded.
“What?”
“Don’t accept any new offers until you’ve heard what my client has to say.”
“Fine.” What difference did it make? It wasn’t a legally binding agreement or anything. Or as if any offers of any kind were likely to come her way soon. If it got him to leave it was worth it.
“Thank you.” He turned to go, then stopped and held out his hand. “My card.”
He didn’t move as she took it from him. The heavy, thick card stock whispered against her skin as her finger slipped over the raised lettering.
Megan watched him go, crossing the street and stopping next to a sleek black Jaguar, which unlocked with a discreet click. “Oh, and Miss Chase?”
“Yes?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Megan was ready to give up and go inside when he finally spoke.
“Be careful.”

Sneak Peek part 2

Personal Demons is available for preorder on Amazon here!!


Enjoy!

(Note: This is an unedited excerpt. Final version may vary slightly.)

Chapter One (second scene)

He continued harping about it all the way through the almost-empty station and into the parking garage. “Your show is a vehicle for advertisers. You understand that, right?” He didn’t even glance at her, which was probably a good thing as she was having difficulty keeping her face blank. “So you must identify the show and the station. You must use your tagline. We put a lot of thought into—”
“I understand.” Opening herself to so many people, so many problems, over the course of two hours drained her more than she expected. All she wanted to do was go home, have a glass of wine and a snack, and take a long, hot bath. None of which she could do while Richard stayed in full lecture mode. “And I’m sorry, okay? It was an accident. I’m still new at this, but I realize the audience needs to be reminded of brand identity, especially when they may have been distracted by something as insignificant as suicide. It won’t happen again.”
“I hope not,” he said, completely missing the sarcasm, or just ignoring it. They walked through the parking garage for a minute, their heels echoing on the gritty cement. Megan shivered. She hated parking garages, with their stale, oil-smelling air. A minor phobia, but one that still bothered her. Even Richard’s echoing monologue seemed preferable to silence here.
“I have an interview set up for you,” he said. She’d been wrong. It was better when he didn’t speak. “Tomorrow evening, a dinner. 7:00 at Café Neus. It’s a reporter for the Hot Spot.”
For what felt like the millionth time in the last few weeks, she cursed her decision to take the show. Just because Richard would have hired Don Tremblay—the Shooter McGavin of local therapists—if she’d turned it down was no reason to martyr herself. She should have just let him do it. Her heavy breather probably wouldn’t have minded, and neither would any of the other callers.
Except Regina.
“Richard…I don’t want to be in that rag.”
“You say rag, we at the station say invaluable source. Do you have any idea how many subscribers they have?”
They reached Megan’s car, sitting all by itself under one dim fluorescent light. “No, but I bet you’re going to tell me.”
“Over twenty thousand. Twenty thousand subscribers, and that doesn’t include off-the-shelf readers or people in waiting rooms. They’re a big deal, and they want to do a big story.”
“One interview isn’t a big story. I don’t think GQ or Vogue do just one brief dinner interview and turn it into—oh, no.” Clutching her purse in front of her like a shield, she said, “Tell me you didn’t sign me up for that “Week in the Life” thing. Please.”
“It’s good publicity. Besides, they’ll do a plug for the Femmel Foundation by writing about the ball. You do want to do your part for charity, don’t you?”
“It’s an imposition.”
“It’s your job.”
Megan glared at him. “Fine.”
Richard waited while she got into the car and settled into the driver’s seat. Just before he closed the door for her, he said, “Wear something sexy. They might take pictures, too.”
By the time she thought of a nasty enough reply, he was too far away to hear it.

Okay...commence sneak peekage...

(The above is a temporary cover, but the final version won't change significantly. Isn't it cool?!)

Personal Demons is available for preorder on Amazon here!!

And to celebrate my preorder status, I'll be posting the entire first chapter here this week. One scene a day, today tomorrow and Wednesday.

Enjoy!

(Note: This is an unedited excerpt. Final version may vary slightly.)

Chapter One

“Welcome back to Personal Demons,” Megan said into the microphone. “Our next caller is Regina. Hi, Regina, how can I slay your personal demons?”
The words tasted like shame. She and Richard had fought over that line, just as they’d fought over the massive publicity campaign he and the station orchestrated for the show.
Richard signed the paychecks, so Richard won. Never let it be said that good taste and actually helping people outweighed silly gimmicks in the media world.
“Regina? Are you there?”
"I'm scared." The rush of images accompanying that small, almost childish voice raised goosebumps on Megan's skin and drove all thoughts of Richard and tacky taglines from her mind. The pale, pointed face of a woman, limp blond hair tucked behind her ears. Blood poured over the vision, red and viscous. Gnarled six-toed feet stepped in the blood, leaving misshapen prints like chinks in a mirror.
Megan gasped, rocking back in her chair. What the hell was that? Instinctively she raised her psychic shields, only to drop them again. Regina was her client now, just like any other. She deserved everything Megan could give to help her.
Bill and Richard gestured at her from the booth, their faces reddening. Dead air was radio’s most mortal sin.
"Sorry, sorry. We had a minor technical problem. You said you're scared?"
"Yes." Regina sniffled. "I can't do it anymore. I can't take it anymore."
Now the initial terrifying flash had passed, Megan received more mundane pictures. A car, a bland pale green office cubicle looking like every other bland, pale green office cubicle. An attractive man, smiling down at her—at Regina. A boyfriend, maybe?
Megan forced her muscles to relax. "Why don’t you tell me what’s happening."
"It’s the voices. They talk to me all the time. When I'm awake, when I'm asleep…I hear them."
"Voices?"
"Evil voices. They tell me to…to hurt myself. To hurt other people. And I don't do it, but I think I might. I have to make them stop."
"Have you spoken to anyone—"
Regina’s sobs shuddered through the phone line. "They won't go away, they won't leave me alone, and they say horrible things, and they want me to do horrible things, and I think if I were dead I wouldn't hear them anymore. I don't want to die. But I can't listen to them anymore either."
Regina didn’t feel organically disturbed to Megan, but mentally sound people did not hear voices. And none of this accounted for that scaly, misshapen foot or the cold panic it inspired.
"Regina, suicide is never the answer. Listen to me. You can be helped. We can find out why this is happening to you, and we can make those voices go away. Okay? You can be happy again. You're a good person, and you deserve to be happy, right?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. They told me I'm not, they told me they're with me because I'm bad."
"You're not bad." Megan sat up straighter in her chair and leaned forward, staring at the microphone as if Regina could somehow see her through it. "Not at all. I bet the people you work with don't think you're bad, do they?" The face of the man in the office flashed up again. "Maybe there's a few people there you can trust, who you can talk to?"
Regina blew her nose, which sounded wonderful on-air. "Maybe."
“Then here’s what I want you to do. I want you to think of those people, okay? Think about them, and think about your parents, and all the people who care about you. When you hear those voices telling you to hurt yourself, you think about them. And my engineer Bill is going to give you a different phone number to call, and the people on the other end of that call are going to help you, too. You don’t have to be scared anymore, all right?”
“Thank you,” Regina said.
“Good,” Megan replied, relieved. “Out time is up for this evening, but I want you to call me back here next week and tell me how you’re doing. Will you do that?”
“Yes. I’ll call you. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. You take care of yourself and call me next week.” Megan signaled Bill to transfer Regina back. He already had the list in his hands to give her the suicide hotline number. At least Regina had genuinely wanted help, unlike most of Megan’s other inaugural show callers. Three lonely hearts, one rebellious teen, a man who thought Elvis lived next door, and one pervert had not made for a stellar beginning.
Thirty seconds to the blessed moment Megan could go home and not come back for another week. “I want everyone listening now to pay attention. There is always a reason to live, no matter how you might feel right now. There are always people who care about you, people willing to listen and try to help you. If you think you don’t have anyone, you’re wrong, because you can call me, here on this show. I care, and I’ll listen. We’re out of time for tonight, but I’ll be back next week.”
Once more the music filled the studio. Bill gave her the thumbs up, but Richard leaned over him and pushed a button. “That was great.” Megan smiled, but he continued, “but you didn’t use the phrase. Don’t ever go to break or end the show without using the phrase. It’s the most important thing you’ll do on the air.”

Epublishing: with Tina Burns, Acquisitions Editor, Liquid Silver Books

*****Tina will be stopping by during the day to answer any further questions you may have!! So please don't be shy!********


1. Do you have any comment on RWA’s recent re-redefinition of “Vanity/Subsidy publisher”?

No. It doesn't affect our readers, and many of our authors qualify for PAN membership, which seems to be their main concern. Many of our authors are RWA and we have never been a vanity press.

2. What do you think a writer should look for from an epublisher, and how should they expect to be treated?

My list isn’t in order of importance as I feel that they all have close to equal weight, so here’s my list:
• Longevity – how long have they been in business?
• Public Standing – are they looked on favorably in the ePublishing community? Are they frequently part of the rumor/blog comment mill? Are they recommended by their authors, by readers? Other Publishers?
• Genreability – I know it’s not a word, but it says what I mean. ;) Know what a publisher publishes. If they publish erotic romance, a time travel mystery book with dueling shifter clans with no romantic elements won’t fit.
• Quality – Want to know what a publisher is like? Buy a few of their books, different genres, different lengths, and read them. Are there mistakes? Even if the story doesn’t grab you, is there a clear storyline?
• Covers – The good, the bad, and the very very bad. This goes along with quality, but I feel it’s a strong enough “must” for its own bullet point.
• Contract - One year should be enough for generic contracts, and rights which won't be exploited by the pub shouldn't be claimed.
• Submission guidelines - These should be simple to understand, and minimal.
• Royalties - Epubs should be able to pay 40+% of revenue on all books.
• Business acumen - Epub is a business, so it should be run by people with business knowledge and experience.
• Editing - It's more than spell checking. Epubs should require necessary rewrites before contract, the content editing should be thorough, and there should be a separate copy editing step at the end.
• Future-proof - Many electronic files from 10 years ago can't be read by today's software and devices. The epub should be maximizing the likelihood of their content being readable in 10-20 years time.
• Customer service - You want your epub to treat customers well, otherwise they won't return and buy your books. Buy from them, then ask a question or make a complaint.

Authors should expect to be treated with respect and in a timely manner. They should expect to receive their royalties within the right of their contracts. I strive to be very approachable. Most times I’m an author’s first point of contact at Liquid Silver and I remember what it’s like to be a first time author, or first time to a new publisher, so I’ve made a point to keep that stressor point for authors very minimal.

3. What are the most common mistakes made by authors submitting works for consideration?

How long can this be? LOL. The biggest mistake I find is that authors submit works that aren’t critiqued by a peer. And by peer I don’t mean their best friend (non-author) who’s going to gush that it’s the best thing she’s ever read. There are many ways to find a critique partner/beta reader in the erotic romance world. Know your genre. Along with making sure a story actually makes sense, the CP will/should help the author catch any grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Yes, grammar and some writing issues can be fixed in editing, but if those problems are so prevalent that the story doesn’t come through, then it’s not submission ready.

My personal pet peeve (hint for anyone submitting to LSB) is head-hopping aka point-of-view switching. I don’t need to know that Fred the bartender thinks Sally’s jugs are mouthwatering, unless Fred happens to be the hero or the villain. Keeping the POV between the main characters keeps the story moving forward and interesting, not brain numbing. Besides, we can’t all be Nora Roberts. ;)

We have a forum for readers and authors: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/forums/ (**Direct link). We’ve got a thread there for aspiring authors where they (or anyone, aspiring or multi-pubbed) can peruse and/or ask questions. I’ve started a blog/thread of sorts titled “How NOT to get my book published” where I try in a lighthearted yet serious way to give authors writing advice.

4. Although conservative non-fiction has a large following, lately I have picked up on a resistance to conservative leaning fiction. Two well known agents even stated such on their Blogs. This is informative, and it means if you write from a conservative perspective, it would be best to seek representation elsewhere. My question is how pervasive is this attitude among publishers and agents? Do the political views or leanings, in either direction, of the author or characters in a book influence your decision? Would you ask an author to tone such views down to make the book more palatable to a larger readership?

Liquid Silver Books is an imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, which is a non-erotic publisher. The owners have decided that in the current market (meaning buyers market) they’re concentrating on the Liquid Silver end of their company. If, in the future, conservative fiction becomes more of a demand from buyers, then they are very open to re-launching Atlantic Bridge.

I’m not much of a political debater, and because of that I’m going to give a very PC answer so I don’t get myself in trouble. I’ll give an example vs replying with a general answer….

I have gotten a couple submissions where I’ve felt that the story focused on pushing the author’s views of a certain subject on the reader, or that the “emotion” behind the story was “preachy”. In those instances, if the story could sustain itself outside of the politics of the issue, I start a dialogue with the author about it. What’s the point they’re trying to get across? I’ve found that most times, authors don’t even realize their personal beliefs were coming across so strong, and willingly work with us to make the story approachable for all readers.

5. With a primarily digital mode of publication, how do you decide how much to publish? Are all high quality manuscripts that meet the perceived needs of your customers published, or is there a goal for monthly or annual publications?

I don’t make the decisions as to how many books a week we publish, the owners do, but we’ve found that to maintain the high quality of editing, covers, and stories we’re known for, two books a week is a good consistent number. We don’t have a monthly or annual goal to hit, yet at the same time, yes, all high quality submissions that fit our criteria are most often contracted and published. We don’t accept books just to fill a publishing quota.

6. When would you advise an author to seek publication with a traditional print publisher and when is it in their best interests to publish in digital format? The pros and cons are often debated among authors, and I was wondering how the actual publishers saw these issues.

That’s hard for me to answer. It’s my opinion that that question is often an author’s personal choice to go print or ePub. If I receive a submission email from an author letting me know they’re looking forward to seeing their books on the bookshelves of a brick and mortar store, then I let them know that they might be considering the wrong publisher. Liquid Silver does have some books in print. In the next few years we will be printing more and they will be available in bookstores, but we are primarily an ebook publisher and we’re going to stay that way. We’ve set very high criteria for books to move on to the print stage of our business.

Epublishing offers many pros to the publishing world: Quick turnaround from start to finish, a wide variety of genres, and the ability to mix genres to name a few.

Liquid Silver has had many authors make that transition from ebook author to mainstream print, and we’ve no issues with that happening and are very flexible and encouraging of our authors that choose to do so. Sasha White, Jasmine Haynes aka Jennifer Skully, Alyssa Brooks, Amie Stuart aka Celia Stuart, Jodi Lynn Copeland…the list goes on. Some of our authors that have recently gotten print contracts are Shara Lanel and Terri Schaefer, both excellent authors and still write for us.

7. Can you share any sorts of revenue targets you have in mind when purchasing a manuscript? I assume that you need to sell a certain number of copies before the time spent acquiring, editing, and publishing is worth it financially. What is that approximate point? What percentage of manuscripts make this cut-off?

We have some authors whose sales of most books are consistently poor, but we welcome their next submission. Why do we adopt this apparently counter-intuitive approach?

LSB is focused on epub for the long term. We regard the current phase as the learning period--for authors and us--before epub goes mainstream. As such, we want quality stories as #1 priority; good sellers are very welcome, but not necessary.

We can afford this approach because it keeps our business lean, which is a major reason we're still around since 1999--the pay-off is in the future. So to summarize: no revenue targets for a manuscript, but it must (potentially) be a good story well told.

8. By far the most famous epublishers currently are focused on erotic romance. I would guess that far more erotic romance is bought in ebook format than in print. First, is this guess accurate? Secondly, what prospects do you see in the short to mid term for other genres in eBook format? Will we soon see non-romance mysteries or fantasy or manga taking off? Will we see it with your company?

I answered this mostly in number 4, but yes, right now erotic romance is the “it” buying genre at the moment. As far as genre’s we will take, anything and everything, as long as the story is good and it’s erotic romance. I’d love to see a really good erotic historical, especially medieval times. (not-so-subtle-hint)

As an aside, speaking for LSB specifically, the story line must stand alone without the descriptive sex that constitutes the erotic part. If your story is a string of sex scenes held very loosely together by what might be considered a plot, then we don’t consider it erotic romance. The romantic connection between the characters and the storyline are first and foremost in our books, the descriptive sex a bonus. I like to think of them as romance books that leave the lights on.

9. Is there such a thing as a best seller list for e-books?

We’re don’t have a published one, though it is something we’ve considered. We do after a few months use Fictionwise as a bookseller and they have a best seller list that Liquid Silver is a frequent addition to.

10. Since marketing and promotion are a shared venture with publishers and authors, what do you see as some of the best venues and tools to establish the name and work of a new writer?

The best answer I can give … Write another book, and another. The more you write, the more your name gets in front of readers, and word of mouth is the fire that will fuel your sales. Don’t get too caught up in the loops or forums, pretty soon you’ll be chatting and promoting too much to write again. When you do promote, sell you, the author, your name, not just your books. If your name is Sue Black, and your book title is Rainbow Kisses and How I Married the Leprechaun Guarding the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow, which is easier to remember?

Joke Question:
"I have a manuscript for a erotic romantic paranormal suspense starring Hugo the Were-Alpaca and a famous movie star, Angela Jolee. Angela is fed up with her movie star husband and lost in life until she meets Hugo, a budding author and blog commenter not based upon the author at all, and discovers she can only find happiness when naked with Hugo and using bowls of pudding in intriguing ways. It is complete at 185,000 words and is the first in a series, though it can certainly stand upright and for a long, long time on its own. It is typically ready to be re-read in under 5 minutes. Book 2 features Hugo and Jessyka Albra; book 3, Hugo and Tyla Spanks; and Book 4 explores the possibilities of all four together. Interested?"

If the pudding is chocolate or butterscotch, email me.

Liquid Silver Books – www.liquidsilverbooks.com
Liquid Silver Forums – www.liquidsilverbooks.com/forums
Liquid Silver Blog – www.liquidsilverbooks.com/blog
LS Reader Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/liquidsilverreaders/
Submissions - http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/guidelines.htm

Tina Burns
Acquisitions Director
tina @ liquidsilverbooks.com (*Note: I added the spaces to keep Tina's email away from the spiders, so remove them to email her.)

Thanks so much, Tina, for a fantastic interview!

A couple of quick notes

--I have added the recipes for peanut butter cake, spanakopita, and my fake greek potatoes to the Overflow blog (link on right.)

--I'm just about halfway done with The Demon Inside and I'm going to need a new beta reader when I'm done--someone who hasn't read Personal Demons, because I need to know if the book works without knowing the backstory. Any takers? Email me if you're interested. It won't be for at least another three weeks or so, so check your schedule. I have a hard time critting/beta-ing when I'm working so I try to plan windows.
You don't have to crit; I just want someone to give me their impressions of the book--in detail, if possible, please, especially in its rough(er) form. And I'll owe you a beta back, if you like. (I feel the need to mention "detail" because I really am paranoid and so will bug you to death. Really. Ask poor Anna J. Evans and McKoala. It's not that I don't trust you guys, it's that I'm demanding.)

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I will be posting the entire first chapter of Personal Demons, a scene a day. Can't wait to hear what you all think!!

Perfumes..and time wasters!

Yay! My perfumes arrived yesterday from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!

I ordered 20 of their sample sized "Imps", in a wide variety of scents. My favorite so far is "O", but I'm also really digging "Siren" and "Blood Amber". I'll try them all, one a day--it's the belated birthday gift that keeps on giving!

I was looking through Personal Demons yesterday and realized the place in that book where I almost gave up, and sat on my hands for almost three weeks because I had no idea how to get where I needed to be, was page 160. Guess where I'm stuck on The Demon Inside? Page 160, you say? Why, yes!

The good news is, I think I have figured out how to get over the hump. I actually got some words in this morning and think I'll do more tonight (after Heroes, of course.)

Also in time-wasting, I decided, for some insane reason, that it would be fun to make spanakopita from scratch. Okay, actually it was kind of fun, but next time I'm using fresh spinach instead of frozen, because that shit was a bitch to thaw and took forever. Plus, phyllo pastry? Fiddly, although not as bad as I've heard. They say to keep it damp, but I actually found it easier to work with a little drier. Less fragile but still quite pliable.

Anyway. That's it. I smell good--or at least I did until I started messing about with spinach and feta cheese--and I'll either eat well tonight or I'll eat terribly. (I'm also doing roast potatoes with garlic, lemon, oregano and nutmeg).

Oh, and I've become obsessed with Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Websites (again)

So I need a Stacia Kane website. Gotta have one, gotta get it all set up, laws yes. M-O-O-N, that spells I'm screwed!

(BTW, I'll have some news about Personal Demons next week--and I'm going to post excerpts Monday and Wednesday! So make sure you come back and get your sneak peek!)


See, when I set up the DQ site, I was just playing. trying to do something dramatic and maybe a little sexy, something fun. Great.

But, much as I like the site, I need a different look for the SK site. And I've been hearing a few things about author sites lately that hae made the process even more confusing.

For instance, I hear the black-and-red theme, especially for urban fantasy writers, is getting a bit dull. And the white writing on a black background isn't easy on the eyes.

So I need a light-colored background. But I'm not, as you all know, a fan of pastels. And gray, which I really like, seems a bit monochrome, maybe? I don't know, I might try it.

I want to create a cool logo, but I'm absolute crap at that stuff. Seriously. My artistic design skills are about on a par with my six-year-old's. I can decorate a house nicely, but placing photo elements and making it look all sexy and cool is so not my forte.

So I'm all in a dither, and I'm spending more time thinking about the damn website than actually writing, and...ugh! But web designers are expensive, and I have all the tools and everything. I just need a little inspiration.

I am excited about the site, though--it's going to be big, and chock-full of stuff. Character bios, deleted scenes, free short stories, more info about the supernatural world of the books, sneak previews, bookstore listings...all kinds of things, and hopefully it will be a lot of fun.

Any suggestions for me? Any sites you know of that you think are especially nice? Any suggestions of stuff to avoid (aside from the obvious--I will NEVER put background music on my site!)

Epublishing: with Raelene Gorlinsky, Publisher, Ellora's Cave

1. Do you have any comment on RWA’s recent re-redefinition of “Vanity/Subsidy publisher”?

Now that they have corrected the wording so that it doesn’t include e-publishers, I don’t have any major problems with it. I do think they now need to quickly determine the details of “eligible publisher”. If we have to pay a fee to participate in the National conference, what is the fee and what is included? And are they going to fairly apply the standard, which may mean that publishers like St. Martin’s Press and Red Sage are not “eligible”.

I think it is good that RWA dropped the “RWA-recognized publisher” designation. The qualification for that was so pointless – a publisher could put a lot of money behind just one book to get its sales over the limit needed, but neglect all their other titles. That criterion had no real value in judging the publisher. Plus the whole problem that authors assumed being recognized meant a publisher had RWA’s approval and was automatically a good and “safe” publisher. Authors need to do their research on publishers.

2. What do you think a writer should look for from an epublisher, and how should they expect to be treated?

They should expect the same things from a epublisher as a print publisher. The format of “publication” shouldn’t change how a publisher deals with authors. The difference really is in size and experience of publisher – small versus large, new versus well-established. You might expect different contract terms from a small, new publishing house, and it has nothing to do with whether it’s an e-publisher or print publisher or both.

3. What are the most common mistakes made by authors submitting works for consideration?

They fail to read and follow the submission guidelines. These vary for every publisher. And don’t send inappropriate material to the “wrong” publisher – know which houses are looking for what, and target whom you approach. Stop sending me poetry!

4. Although conservative non-fiction has a large following, lately I have picked up on a resistance to conservative leaning fiction. Two well known agents even stated such on their Blogs. This is informative, and it means if you write from a conservative perspective, it would be best to seek representation elsewhere. My question is how pervasive is this attitude among publishers and agents? Do the political views or leanings, in either direction, of the author or characters in a book influence your decision? Would you ask an author to tone such views down to make the book more palatable to a larger readership?

Well, it’s not something we run into a lot in the submissions we see. But we do have a policy about staying away from controversial political or religious topics in our fiction. On a few occasions I’ve asked authors to “tone it down” when something had potential to be offensive to readers. We’re not trying to be “PC” or bland, but we are publishing romances and other genre fiction – the story needs to focus on that, not become a platform for the author’s personal political views or religious beliefs.

(Yes, I get the occasional hate mail telling me I’m going to burn in hell for putting out books that contain sex, that portray sex as pleasurable or for something besides procreation – and that even have sex between unmarried persons, gasp!)

5. With a primarily digital mode of publication, how do you decide how much to publish? Are all high quality manuscripts that meet the perceived needs of your customers published, or is there a goal for monthly or annual publications?

We have a set number of releases per week. At Ellora’s Cave, we recently increased that from six to eight a week, and at Cerridwen Press went from two to three (and will likely go to four in January). We balance the number of books we have contracted and in process and the perceived market size. Obviously we wouldn’t schedule more release slots than we can fill. And we don’t want to flood the market with more books than our readers will buy.

6. When would you advise an author to seek publication with a traditional print publisher and when is it in their best interests to publish in digital format? The pros and cons are often debated among authors, and I was wondering how the actual publishers saw these issues.

Hmm, I don’t know that I as an e-publisher have ever said to an author “No, I don’t think you should consider digital books, you should go to print.” Except in cases where the audience was not appropriate for e-books – like children’s picture books, art books (filled with illustrations or photos), and books (mainly nonfiction) that are very visual in nature. In that case, you have to consider whether they can be truly appreciated on a small e-book reading device.

At our new TLC (The Lotus Circle) imprint of metaphysical and psychic fiction and non-fiction, we have some non-fiction books that are print only, not digital. In studying the reader market for these books, we determined that they did not present well online, or just would not sell in that format.

7. Can you share any sorts of revenue targets you have in mind when purchasing a manuscript? I assume that you need to sell a certain number of copies before the time spent acquiring, editing, and publishing is worth it financially. What is that approximate point? What percentage of manuscripts make this cut-off?

We don’t accept manuscripts that we don’t think will sell enough to make a profit. Unfortunately, we don’t have an infallible crystal ball and some books don’t do as well as anticipated. We accept about 4% to 5% of unsolicited manuscripts. We accept a much higher percentage from authors already published with us – but just having books published with us doesn’t mean that we’ll accept anything you submit in future! We reject a lot from our existing authors, or send it back for major revisions.

Yes, there is a break-even point, enough sales to cover the cost of editing, cover art, formatting, etc, etc. But that’s not a number we give out.

8. By far the most famous epublishers currently are focused on erotic romance. I would guess that far more erotic romance is bought in ebook format than in print. First, is this guess accurate? Secondly, what prospects do you see in the short to mid term for other genres in eBook format? Will we soon see non-romance mysteries or fantasy or manga taking off? Will we see it with your company?

E-books have always been most popular for the “fringe” genres, things people couldn’t find in their bookstore – or were embarrassed to buy in person. So erotic romance was a perfect fit for e-publishing. Up until a year or so ago, I would agree that more erotic romance was sold as e-books than print books. But now that most of the big NY publishers have entered the erotic romance market, and in print format, I don’t know if that is true any longer.

Through our Cerridwen Press imprint, we publish all types of genre fiction: non-erotic romance, mystery/suspense, scifi/fantasy, historical fiction, etc. Growth has been slow, and as yet is nowhere near as high as erotic romances. Readers were originally driven to e-books for erotic romance because they couldn’t find them in print; that doesn’t apply with mainstream fiction. Regular fiction e-books are competing with every print book out there. The success of e-books in most genres is going to be dependent on our cultural shift toward online everything – our kids, who expect to be able to do almost anything on their computer or cell phone. So I think we’ve got years to go before e-books are a major part of the general book sales, but we are getting there.

9. Is there such a thing as a best seller list for e-books?

I track sales figures carefully, and I know which books and authors are top sellers. That information does get conveyed to our editors in general terms, so that they know what genres and themes are currently most popular, to help them in making acquisition decisions.

We don’t publish on our site a list of the top-selling books, although I know some sites do. It’s something we may consider in future. I’d like some proof that there is a point to doing that – that listing a book as a “best seller” actually encourages more people to buy it. So far, that’s not proven.

10. Since marketing and promotion are a shared venture with publishers and authors, what do you see as some of the best venues and tools to establish the name and work of a new writer?

Every author should have a website, and update it frequently! It should list all their releases, with blurbs and excerpts and Buy links. Don’t forget the Buy link! That, after all, is the point – to sell your books. The site should also have information about future books, and items that interest readers and entice them to come back.

Online chats seem to have died down in popularity and effectiveness. Blogs are the big thing now to reach readers, but I’m beginning to think they’ve been overdone, readers are overwhelmed with too many and especially too many bad ones.

Ads in print magazines are, in my opinion, only effective for print books, not for e-books. If you have e-books, consider online ads on some of the biggest review or e-magazine sites.


Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Raelene!

Read me a story

(Before I start my official post, I have to tell this story. The other day the hubs and I were in the kitchen, sharing a little kiss, like you do. The Faery and the Princess came in the room, because that's what they do. Faery wanted to play, but Princess turned to her and said, "I think they're having sex right now, Faery." Ah, children. What fun.)

So Camille's comment on my last post reminded me of a particular oddity of mine--I can only listen to books on tape if it's a book I've read before. Otherwise my mind wanders. I have a hard time focusing on things people tell me. I guess it's that whole aural/visual learner thing. I'm definitely visual.

My Mom is really into books on tape, and I decided to try one some years ago for a small road trip. I made the mistake of choosing a mystery. Looked great. To this day I know nothing about it. All I remember was something about a mistaken identity and a missing baby. Or something. The thing ended before I even realized it; I'd just tuned out a huge chunk of it.

It's a little easier if it's the hubs doing the reading; we've read a few books together (and one day we'll finished "Kidnapped", honestly.) But even then I prefer books I'm familiar with. That way if I miss something it's no big deal; I don't get lost or find myself wondering who the hell Richard is when he has a line of dialogue.

I do like them when I'm doing things, though. I once spent a long and very enjoyable day painting my bathroom and listening to Maeve Binchy's "Tara Road"; lovely. Or sewing and listening to Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time".

Anyone else have a hard time with books on tape? Or being read to in general?

Turn it up

So the other day I was being ultra-cool and listening to Fleetwood Mac as I drove to the grocery store. I know, I know, such hipness as I cannot be looked upon by mere mortals.

Seriously, though, I do like FM. I like all kinds of music. The hubs and I have recently been yeing, of all things, a set of Time-Life CDs, a country music collection with lots of 70s/80s stuff like Crystal Gayle (my parents loved her), Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbit of all people, etc. And we want it. As Anna J said, it's what all the hip thirtysomethings are buying these days (this hip thritysomething, btw, turned 34 on Saturday, woe is me.)

FM always makes me think of a friend of mine, whose personal theme song is "Gypsy". And it suits her. And so now, when I hear it, I think of her.

I've always used music to help define my characters, although I haven't been as good with it of late. I even have one or two characters who don't have a theme song, which is odd to me because that's where they used to come from.

Part of it may simply be that music isn't as available here. The radio is a joke. And THEY TALK OVER THE MUSIC, which I HATE with a passion. No radio station can even pretend to be any good when the DJ keeps interrupting the songs to prattle on about his garden or, even worse, sing along. Which I'm sad to say is not unusual here. When I was growing up none of the stations dared to do such things; it was a huge advertising point. KSHE 95 and KS 94 both ran ads, for years, about how they never talked over the music. And they didn't. Which was good.

But I've never really had a theme song of my own. Over the years I've had different songs that speak to me, that say something important. Songs that make me feel a certain way or remember certain things.

Perhaps this is part of my problem. So many songs have so many memories attached to them these days, and as time goes on those memories grow more and more bittersweet until the sweet is all gone. So many bands I used to love, so many CDs I practically wore out, that instead of filling me with the joy and optimism they once did now only make me think of lost opportunities and broken friendships and times I made an ass out of myself.

But it still bothers me, that there's no song that defines me. There's no song that I listen to and think "This is the statement I want to make about myself, these are the lyrics that could have sprung from my own head, written about my own life."

So what's your personal theme song? Or one of your friends? Why don't you have one, if you don't?

Epublishing: with Treva Harte, EIC of Loose-ID

1. Do you have any comment on RWA’s recent re-redefinition of “Vanity/Subsidy publisher”?

Loose Id is not a vanity or subsidy publisher by any definition, so RWA's modifications to that policy won't affect us or our authors.


2. What do you think a writer should look for from an epublisher, and how should they expect to be treated?

Professionalism and professionally. Look at their website for a start. (I got the following questions thanks to an article one of my fellow Loose Id partners wrote recently.) How long has the company been in business? How many titles does the company release each week? Does the company ever promote old titles? What are the contract terms? Are there any rumors flying around about this company? Does the publisher want books like mine?

You may want to check out her article for more info here.

(http://fogcitydivas.typepad.com/dishing_with_the_divas/2007/04/today_i_am_very.html)


3. What are the most common mistakes made by authors submitting works for consideration?

Not doing their research on what the publisher and market wants. Grammatical and plot mistakes can be worked on, but the story has to be a strong one first.


4. Although conservative non-fiction has a large following, lately I have picked up on a resistance to conservative leaning fiction. Two well known agents even stated such on their Blogs. This is informative, and it means if you write from a conservative perspective, it would be best to seek representation elsewhere. My question is how pervasive is this attitude among publishers and agents? Do the political views or leanings, in either direction, of the author or characters in a book influence your decision? Would you ask an author to tone such views down to make the book more palatable to a larger readership?

Other than trying to avoid politics and religion as much as possible in our stories – we sell romance, not politics, and we have no desire to annoy any of our market – we have no particular policy on this.

5. With a primarily digital mode of publication, how do you decide how much to publish? Are all high quality manuscripts that meet the perceived needs of your customers published, or is there a goal for monthly or annual publications?

I’m going to quote very freely from Doreen’s article here—
There's a balance between too many and too few releases. Too few releases may mean that the publisher is new on the block or has a questionable reputation with authors. Even if the company is solid, readers only re-visit sites that frequently offer fresh new titles.

In contrast, some E-publishers release too many titles. With too many new titles, readers become jaded and will often postpone a buying decision, thinking "No hurry...I can wait to see what's new tomorrow before I buy."

Chances are you'll do best with a company that releases a regular amount of new titles every week, because readers visit the site when they know there are new releases on a regular basis.


6. When would you advise an author to seek publication with a traditional print publisher and when is it in their best interests to publish in digital format? The pros and cons are often debated among authors, and I was wondering how the actual publishers saw these issues.

All right, I won’t quote Doreen’s article because she has a very lengthy answer for that. The short answer would be, consider a traditional publisher when you're writing for the mainstream. E-publishing tends to publish certain subject matter in advance of traditional print. If you're blazing a new trail in fiction, you might find a good home with an e-publisher.

7. Can you share any sorts of revenue targets you have in mind when purchasing a manuscript? I assume that you need to sell a certain number of copies before the time spent acquiring, editing, and publishing is worth it financially. What is that approximate point? What percentage of manuscripts make this cut-off?

We prefer to keep our sales targets confidential, but I can say that we don't select books if we don't honestly believe they will strike a chord with our readership. We've been releasing new titles every week for more than three years; by now we're familiar with what our customers want to buy.


8. By far the most famous epublishers currently are focused on erotic romance. I would guess that far more erotic romance is bought in ebook format than in print. First, is this guess accurate? Secondly, what prospects do you see in the short to mid term for other genres in eBook format? Will we soon see non-romance mysteries or fantasy or manga taking off? Will we see it with your company?

We believe that there is a huge market for erotic romance in e-publishing. The nature of electronic media means that the books can more easily be kept private than a print book. Your kids are far more likely to stumble across a print book than an electronic book.

Loose Id has always been on the cutting edge of new trends such as manga-inspired erotic romance. However, we have no plans to branch out into other genres such as non-romance mysteries. Those markets are already being well-served by traditional publishers.

9. Is there such a thing as a best seller list for e-books?

Not at the present time.

10. Since marketing and promotion are a shared venture with publishers and authors, what do you see as some of the best venues and tools to establish the name and work of a new writer?

My marketing partner would say start by writing the very best book you can – one with a great hook and memorable characters. Word of mouth from readers is the best advertising and it certainly helps when you have something you can market easily. Even before that getting your name known (in a good way) on lists and blogs is helpful. After that, there are many useful avenues you can pursue. I’d check with fellow authors and ask your publisher what they will do or recommend the author do.

You may also want to take a look at a new blog that a fellow e-publisher, Margaret Riley of Changeling Press, and I have started to answer epublishing questions. It's here. (http://treva2007.livejournal.com)


Thanks so much to Treva for taking the time, and for the excellent answers and links!!

Just a quickie

My guest blogger is dragging heels, so hopefully that will be ready next week,

So this is just a quick one. We've had a very nice day today, although the birthday cake I made didn't turn out quite as pretty as I'd hoped. Stupid fan ovens are the bane of my existence. They dry everything out (although not the cake, as I've learned to add a little extra liquid) and, especially bad for cakes, make everything bake uneven on the tops. HATE THEM. I forgot to turn the bottom cake upside down for frosting (bright pink) so it ended up like some sort of insane Barbie-land mushroom.

We went to Forbidden Planet in Bristol, where Princess decided there was something she MUST have:




It's what all the fashionable six-year-olds are wearing these days, and since it was her birthday, we gave it to her. We're not sure why she loves Ghost Rider so much, but she does. She draws him too.

And I got a darling pair of shoes, very unlike me because they're wedge heels but I couldn't resist them, they are so Carmen Miranda/Miami fun (and on sale!):



They're actually a softer shade than they appear here. Just a little present for me, too.

So that was my day.

Once again, life gets in the way

Sorry everyone, I owed you a post on Friday and was a no-show.

Life has intruded, in the form of a WIP that's kicking my ASS. And a husband. And two children.

Which, btw, the Princess turns six on Wednesday, so I will be unavailable most of that day too. We're taking her to Bristol where she can pick out something at Toys R Us and build her own bear at Cribb's Causeway, which is a big mall--the only one anywhere nearby, as far as we know. And I'm going to bake her a yellow cake from scratch, since they don't have yellow or white cake mix here (I don't like chocolate cake. So nobody in my family gets chocolate cakes. I'm cruel that way.)

But, I do hopefully have a really fun guest blogger for you on Wed.--so check back.

Also, the publishing interviews have started coming back, so look for Treva Harte's here on Friday.

The WIP is around 25k words now, and I think it's finally starting to really swing for me. I actually think it's all very good--probably the best thing I've ever written--but I'm finally really getting into the meat of it, the book's first big setpiece after all the initial action and turns and twists. Poor Megan, everything is falling apart around her.


And critting, and trying to come up with a story idea for next year's Ellora's Cavemen anthologies, which I don't know if I'll do or not. I find short stories very irritating and difficult to write. My mind keeps coming up with new twists and turns and before I know it I've plotted a long novella.

I'm also planning a barbeque for the last Saturday of this month, and I need to come up with a dessert. I'll probably make another cake. I'm trying to do an Real American Cookout, you know? Complete with A-1 sauce, which my Mom sent to me and which I hoard like gold. But that's the kind of hostess I am, that I'll share on this occasion.

I love giving parties, I really do. I used to do it all the time. For the hubs' birthdays, for the Princess's birthdays (Faerie never had a birthday in the States.) Really, for any reason I could come up with.

Haven't had one here, really, except for Faerie's first birthday when we still didn't have furniture.

How about you? Parties? Dessert suggestions? Feelings about particular cakes?

Watching the detectives

Well...sort of anyway. But I couldn't resist the title.

Hubs and I are becoming acquainted once again with the magic of television, all thanks to DVD and a multi-region player. We've been watching Dexter of late, and are eagerly awaiting the first series on DVD, which should be winging its way across the ocean to us.

Maybe one of these days the Royal Mail will stop its incessant striking and actually deliver it to us, wonder of wonders.

So. Loving Dexter. Especially the intense Miami versimilitude. Everybody looks sweaty all the time, which is exactly the way people in Miami actually look. The murder scene in the first episode was a hotel here the hubs actually stayed once. The second looked to me like Bayside, where I used to go with some coworkers if it rained and so we got the day off (we worked on the beach selling drinks from trailers.) Sigh, I do miss Miami.

Also just started watching Heroes, which kicks serious ass. The first season comes out on DVD August 28, so we'll be getting that one too.

There's nothing else to do here, after all.

Except read. I just finished "Rises the Night" by Colleen Gleason, and enjoyed it very much, too. I read "Fashion Babylon" and enjoyed it not as much. I read a few other books I thought were only eh. And I'm enjoying the hell out of Necropolis: London and its Dead, by Catharine Arnold. Only a chapter or so in but already having much, much fun. The descriptions of Roman cremations gave me some great ideas--although ever since seeing Conan the Barbarian as a child (regular readers may remember this is one of my all-time favorite films)(how's that for alliteration?) I've been fascinated by the idea of funeral pyres anyway. I just plain like fire.
Also firing (ha ha) the imagination is her description of charnel houses and the many and varied uses for bones in France and Italy.

Including chandeliers.

Totally look for human bone chandeliers somewhere in one of my next books. They'll be there, oh yes.

What have you been watching or reading lately?

(Oh, and: I've decided that instead of placing my book excerpts on my website, I'm creating new blogger blogs for each and posting them there. So if you click on the "Sample Chapter One" links on the site, you'll be led to a blogger page. I've seen a few readers say this is easier on the eyes. Haven't transferred all of them yet but I'm in the process.)